As health care providers, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have always felt the need to ensure the safety of their patients. In recent years, however, stress levels for pharmacy personnel have increased exponentially as they have taken on new responsibilities and seen increased workloads, while at the same time providing patients with top-level care.  

According to data from the Well-being Index for Pharmacy Personnel (WBI), 31% of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who used the self-assessment tool are at risk of experiencing high distress. And those who risk experiencing high distress also have a twofold risk of making a medication error. Since the WBI was launched in 2019, more than 10,000 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and student pharmacists have assessed and reassessed their well-being and stress. 

To help support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, we have compiled tools and information that can be used to find help.  

Self-evaluation Tools 

• Assess your well-being with the Well-being Index for Pharmacy Personnel. The tool evaluates your fatigue, depression, burnout, anxiety, and stress. Developed by the Mayo Clinic and offered by APhA, the tool is an anonymous, research-validated online tool.
• Submit your workplace experiences – positive and negative – to Pharmacy Workplace and Well-being Reporting (PWWR). This anonymous and confidential reporting tool was developed to help enhance and safeguard the pharmacy workplace. Information collected through the PWWR reports will help to tell a collective story that can lead to change and improvement in well-being and patient safety.

Courses

• Mental Health First Aid (MHFA): Learn to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis.

Patient Resources 

• Patient and Caregiver Insights: Explore a variety of resources, including information about psych pharmacists and educational articles authored for National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to address common questions pharmacists receive and questions NAMI receives on their help line. Plus, find over 40 medication fact sheets with detailed information on medications used to treat psychiatric and neurologic conditions.

Pharmacy Personnel Resources 

• Community Pharmacy Education and Resources: This resource page is intended for community, retail, and ambulatory care pharmacists and provides quick links to many resources a pharmacist seeking information on mental health might find valuable.
• Resources for Hospital Leaders: The NIOSH Impact Wellbeing page offers hospital resources such as surveys and a toolkit for hospital leadership to help build a system where workers can thrive based on evidence-informed solutions.
• Burnout and Moral Injury Framework: The National Framework for Addressing Burnout and Moral Injury in the Health and Public Safety Workforce explores the drivers and process of burnout and moral injury and identifies practical strategies and tools to improve worker and learner well-being in health and public safety settings.